Billiards is a game played by many people worldwide. Prior to or during the game, a player often applies a block of cue tip chalk to a tip of a billiard cue. During such process, many players hold an exposed portion of the block against the tip and then rotate either the cue or the block to transfer a desired chalk coating onto the tip. The rotation forms or expands a dimple, which keeps the tip centered on the exposed portion of the block and facilitates first few uses of the block if the block is new.
As the block is repeatedly applied onto the cue, the dimple grows deeper and its depth eventually renders the block practically useless for experienced players. However, such block is not really used up. Rather, the block generally contains a substantial amount of unused chalk, often as much as or more than has been previously used.
Although individual cue tip chalk blocks are not particularly expensive, with growth of billiards as a popular form of entertainment and accompanying rise of chains of billiard establishments, cumulative replacement of such blocks incurs a significant operating expense. At least operators of such establishments would benefit from a technology for effectively extending operational life of a cue tip chalk block as such extension would cumulatively provide a potentially large and welcome cost saving.
Accordingly, an effective way of extending operational life of a cue tip chalk block is desired.